Content about Board of Education

It’s official: Princeton Regional Schools is no more. Don’t get too panicked - only the name was traded in.

The Board of Education, at their meeting on February 7,  traded in PRS for the much more stylish PPS, which stands for Princeton Public Schools.

At Tuesday evening’s Regional Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Judith Wilson hailed the long-sought contract agreement with Princeton Regional Educational Association (PREA) and, reported that the agreement is in stages of being ratified by both the Board and the teachers.
 

(1/20/12 update: Teachers reached a tentative agreement with the Princeton Regional Schools on Thurday night. Union members are set to meet next Wednesday and then take a vote on it later in the week.  The tentative agreement also has to be ratified by the Board of Education.  The next open Board Meeting is next Tuesday, Jan. 24.)

Since the beginning of this school year, Princeton public school teachers have been working under the terms of a contract that expired nearly six months ago.

Negotiations regarding the contracts began in last January, between the Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA) and the Princeton Negotiations Board. After both sides failed to come to an agreement, the Public Employees Relations Council appointed a mediator, as the negotiations reached an impasse.

(7/6/2011 update:  The July 14 Board of Education meeting has been cancelled.  At this point it is not clear when or how they will consider the Save the Valley Road School proposal)

Since we all rely on the services of the Princeton Fire Department, we should know more about  how it operates.  So here’s a pop quiz:
(A) Are Princeton firefighters paid?
(B) What does it cost to run the Fire Department?
(C) How many Fire Companies does Princeton have?
(D) Which fire stations respond to emergency calls?

Should the old Valley Road School building on Witherspoon Street be converted into a community center, or should it be torn down to make way for the expansion of the fire station and emergency services next door?

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, Princeton Regional Schools outlined a preliminary budget for the 2011-2012 school year that minimized impact on student and faculty while working within the recently legislated 2% cap on school tax increases.

(Click here to see the preliminary 2011-2012 school budget)

The Princeton Board of Education hosted a public forum on Tuesday night at John Witherspoon Middle School to discuss innovative ways to reduce district spending.  Due to reductions in state aid the district may face a $2 million budget shortage in the upcoming year.   The Board of Education intends to factor the community’s cost-cutting suggestions into its budget, which will be drafted within the next two weeks.    

After having its opening this past fall delayed by legal technicalities, the status of Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS) remains uncertain, with its founders still at loggerheads with the surrounding public school districts.

Because of the snow storm, the Public Forum to Gather Input on Cost Savings, Efficiencies, Shared Services and Revenue Opportunities to Support the PRS Budget will be rescheduled to 7:30pm on January 18, 2011, at John Witherspoon Middle School.

The Board of Education welcomes all recommendations on cost savings, efficiencies, new revenue streams, etc., from the PRS and greater Princeton communities prior to the development of the 2011-12 annual budget.

Rescheduled from Feb 22